A 4-year-old girl whose mother was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving early Tuesday was found crying in her family's van hours after it was towed to the city's tow lot.

The girl had been in the van about eight hours before a tow lot operator heard her crying.

The girl's mother was pulled over around midnight by Milwaukee police on suspicion of drunken driving near South 39th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue, City Engineer Jeff Polenske said. A 10-month-old baby was taken out of the vehicle but the mother apparently didn't mention the 4-year-old.

Vehicles should be "thoroughly searched" at the scene prior to being towed, under the Milwaukee Police Department's standard operating procedure.

The van was placed on a flatbed truck by the city's towing contractor and taken to the tow lot on Lincoln Avenue. At the lot, all vehicles are supposed to be inspected with someone from the lot getting on the flatbed to record vehicle identification and license plate numbers and using a flashlight to inspect vehicles, Polenske said.